Mandelson, the Lord High Executioner, on Royal Mail

Peter Mandelson’s disclosure that there isn’t going to be a comprehensive spending review this side of a general election is a king-size clanger on the day the Prime Minister wanted to share his policy vision.

(What Peter Mandelson actually said on the Today programme was: “The spending period currently operating in government stretches beyond the next election and therefore it is reasonable to review public spending at that time.”)

Lord Mandelson has been trying to pour water on the flames this morning, but it adds to the distractions on a day No. 10 wanted the country to focus on its offer to the voters on public services.

And the interview with the FT (conducted on Friday, published today) also creates another distraction – is the government still committed to part-privatisation on Royal Mail?

Lord Mandelson says it is but he is being “jostled” for time in the parliamentary timetable to complete the passage of the Bill.

I put it to Lord Mandelson in an interview this morning that no one jostles the Lord High Executioner and he was simply ducking the fight.

David Cameron at his monthly press conference suggested the Tories might extend the Commons session (there’s a mighty long recess coming up) and/or give up some of their own time in the Commons to allow the second reading debate that the government now seems very unlikely to stage itself.